Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin announced he will run for mayor — challenging Mayor Andrew Ginther — who is seeking a fourth term.
Hardin made the announcement in Columbus' Southfield neighborhood Thursday, setting up what will likely be a competitive election between the two longtime city politicians. Hardin first took elected office after being appointed to Columbus City Council in 2014 and quickly rose through the ranks, being voted in as city council president in 2018.
Hardin surrounded himself with family and supporters outside his mother's home Thursday on Felix Road. Councilmember Lourdes Barroso de Padilla introduced Hardin, but no other council members were present.
Hardin said he thinks the way Columbus leaders have traditionally worked out differences, behind closed doors, doesn't work anymore.
"I believe the way we've always done things is part of what is keeping us from doing better. Seems the 'Columbus Way' has lost its way," Hardin said.
Hardin spoke about his mother and her job working under former four-term Mayor Michael Coleman when Hardin was a child. He said he learned from his mother early on that regular citizens are just as smart as the city's leaders.
"Something slowly changed in me. This working class, gay, Black kid, a son of a single mom in Southfield who was never supposed to be in City Hall in the first place. I realized that the people outside the rooms where decisions are getting made aren't any less capable than the people inside them," Hardin said.
Coleman ended up encouraging Hardin to seek the city council seat he's now held for more than a decade. Coleman mentored Ginther too, but hasn't weighed in to endorse either candidate.
Hardin will run the same year his council seat is up for re-election, leaving an open seat for candidates in District 9, which covers parts of east and southeast Columbus.
Hardin said he will release a policy platform soon, but highlighted the city's relationship with Columbus City Schools. Hardin said education will be his top priority as mayor, but acknowledged City Hall doesn't have decision-making power for the state's largest school district.
"When I am mayor, defending and improving public education will be my top priority. And that starts with aligning our plans for neighborhoods with their plans for buildings so that we're not focused on how to close the school. We're focused on how to fill it," Hardin said.
The school district is struggling, with Columbus City Schools' leaders saying this week they will address a $50 million budget deficit with more potential cuts to staff and school buildings for the second year in a row.
In an interview later Thursday, WOSU asked Hardin if he wants to switch to the way Cleveland runs its public schools. Under that city's system, the mayor has direct control over the public schools and appoints all nine members of the school board.
Hardin didn't rule this out as a possibility.
"I think that you have to have everything on the table. We're not in a baby crisis when it comes to Columbus City Schools. We're in a major crisis when it comes to Columbus City Schools and it's not like they're doing it alone," Hardin said.
He largely pointed to the Ohio Statehouse for not funding public schools enough, but said the city has a role too.
WOSU also asked Hardin whether he would change the city's policies on giving property tax breaks to developers. This policy impacts Columbus City Schools, taking away tens of millions of dollars in revenue for the school district.
Hardin said he'd want to do an economic development study to see what other tools the city has in its toolbox to build affordable housing. He said tax abatements shouldn't be the only tool.
"Anything that impacts Columbus City Schools in a negative way has to be re-examined," Hardin said.
Contrasting himself from Ginther will be one of Hardin's biggest challenges on the campaign trail. Hardin has spent much of his 10 plus years on council voting in favor of Ginther's agenda without much pushback publicly until recently.
Hardin made not-so-subtle hints for months that he would run for mayor and increasingly criticized Ginther's decisions in the past year. Hardin raised concerns about the city's budget, the deal that brought a National Women's Soccer League team to the city and also called for more funding for his Columbus Promise initiative and homeless shelters.
Hardin said he was told when he took office the "Columbus Way" was the responsible way. He said that meant you could get big things done in government, as long as you did not challenge the system.
Hardin pointed to accomplishments he either spearheaded himself or helped push forward like the Columbus Promise, the LinkUs program and giving more money to homeless shelters.
Hardin said Trump's re-election in 2024 was a wake up call for him after years of feeling disconnected from the public and saw the public felt disconnected from government.
"Whether they voted for (Trump) or against him, or didn't vote at all, they had lost faith in government a long time ago and that included City Hall," Hardin said.
Ginther has a large fundraising advantage and receives significant support from influential housing developers. Hardin said he wants to run a "grassroots campaign."
Hardin, however, held a fundraiser earlier this month in Massachusetts at the wealthy island Martha's Vineyard. Hardin said he went there for the annual Black Economic Forum conference, but also held a fundraiser while there.
He said he didn't receive a max donation at the fundraiser, which in Columbus is legally capped at $16,615.
"We understand the fundraising deficit that we have started this campaign in. The mayor has his friends and they, some folks are scared of this moment," Hardin said. "We are not scared of it."
Hardin didn't rule out taking money from developers, which he's done consistently over the years.
When it comes to fundraising, Ginther's campaign has more than $1.7 million in the bank ahead of his re-election campaign in 2027. In campaign finance documents filed in July, Ginther leads the pack.
Hardin had more than $400,000 in his campaign account.
Ginther, who scheduled a press conference on flooding at the same time as Hardin's announcement, said city leaders should be focused on storm recovery. The mayor appeared to take a dig at his new rival.
"Today is not a day for politics. We just had a tornado come through this community. We have record flooding. We're activating the flood wall. We need to be focused on others, serving others, serving our neighbors, looking out for our neighbors, not talking about ourselves," Ginther said.
The mayor did, however, send a statement Thursday morning welcoming Hardin to the race.
"A healthy democracy is built on people stepping forward to serve and giving voters choices. From making Columbus a national leader in affordable housing, attaining the fastest growing wages in the Midwest, and reducing violent crime to the lowest rate in nearly two decades, I'm proud of what I've accomplished and look forward to presenting my positive vision for the work still ahead," Ginther said.
Hardin didn't name Ginther directly, but was critical of his opponent.
Hardin said he's proud of the work he's done with Ginther, but said he believes Columbus is hungry for a new form of bold, on the ground, engaged leadership.
"If you believe that (Ginther) is going to get up every day and fight for your place in our future, then you're welcome to stick with the status quo and vote for that fourth term. But I believe Columbus deserves better, and I believe that Columbus knows that it deserves better," Hardin said.
Hardin declared himself the underdog in this election, but believes if voters step up, he can win despite a fundraising disadvantage.
Besides Hardin, it is unclear who else, if anyone, may try to challenge Ginther next year.
